Forever and a Day
by Gabriel IX
Summary: Tenchi cannot decide. The costs on either side are too great. But what will happen when the balance between the girls is tipped?
1. Broken heartshards

I don't own Tenchi. Don't sue me. That should cover the disclaimer.  
  
Ryoko slowly stretched out her muscles and got out of her bed. "What time is it?" she looked around the room for a clock. "Ah, it doesn't matter. I slept like a baby." Suddenly, she grinned fiendishly. "And since it's early, I'll go wake up Tenchi. hmmm. how'll I do it this time?" She grinned again and snapped her fingers "I've got it." She phased into Tenchi's room with the grin still on her face.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Tenchi opened his eyes and blinked away the sleep. He slowly turned over, then let out a blood curdling scream.  
  
"RYOKO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED!"  
  
Ryoko grinned at him. "wakey wakey, sunshine. Was it good for you too?"  
  
Why do you have to do this EVERY DAY! I wish you'd just."  
  
"Hey," Ryoko interrupted, "I get the idea. Don't worry, I'm outta here." She grinned again and phased away.  
  
Tenchi frowned. He wasn't in the mood for her tricks anymore. She had been so good about this lately that he thought she had grown out of it. After all, she was, in dealing with people, on an infant's level of experience. But that still did not excuse her. He thought that she had grown up enough not to do this.  
  
"I guess I was wrong about her. Again." He grunted sullenly and began to put on his cloths.  
  
Ryoko didn't show up for breakfast. Tenchi just grimaced, then sat down to eat. He finished without talking, stood, and walked out to the fields to do his chores. "what's wrong with him?" Ayeka wondered aloud. "I don't know," Yosho replied, "But it probably has something to do with Ryoko's being missing.  
  
"Hmph! I should have known." Ayeka frowned petulantly. Yosho smiled, then walked out, back to the shrine. *I wonder.* he thought to himself *will Tenchi finally find out her secret?*  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tenchi was almost done with hoeing the fields to allow for the massive amount of carrots he'd need to plant to keep ryo-ohki happy and have some left over for the family. He sat down with his back against a tree to rest for a second when suddenly, he heard it. A faint sob, off in the distance, near the cherry grove. Slowly, he got up and crawled towards it, making as little sound as possible. The sob came again, and Tenchi decided that this wasn't someone he knew. It didn't sound like any of the girls, and Yosho certainly didn't cry. Slowly, slowly he made his way towards it until he was at the edge of the cherry grove. He looked up into the trees and there was. Ryoko!  
  
All of the pieces came together at once in his mind. He had never heard Ryoko really cry before. She kept all her emotions so. bottled up inside her. This would also explain why she wasn't around before. But why was she so upset? What could be so saddening to her? He stood up and quietly called her name.  
  
"Ryoko."  
  
"What? Who's there?" She glared into the trees, "Come out, coward."  
  
Tenchi stepped into the clearing, and she gasped. She turned and jumped down as if to leave, but Tenchi grabbed her hand.  
  
"What's wrong? Tell me! I don't like to see you like this. This isn't you."  
  
"That's the problem Tenchi! This is me! THIS IS ME! I'm weak! These stupid emotions, they take over and. and." she burst into tears. Tenchi pulled her to him and stroked her hair slowly, as if she were a frightened child.  
  
"Shh. Shhh. It's okay Ryoko. It's okay. "  
  
"NO!" she pulled away. "You. You're the real reason for this."  
  
"What?" Tenchi frowned.  
  
"Every time. Every time I say I love you, every time I show I love you, you push me away, tell me I'm not good enough. I used to think I could handle it, but now, with that damn Zero in here with me. Even the little things hurt. Every rejection, no matter how small they seem to you. THEY HURT!"  
  
"Ryoko. Ryoko I."  
  
"I don't know why you do it! Ayeka. she taunts me, pokes at me where I can feel it. Every time she does. every time I fight back. you side with her! You hurt me so much. so much, because that's what you mean to me! I love you with all my heart, and I can't do anything anymore without thinking of you! YOU! Your in my head all the time. I have to hide it. and it's hard! So hard to keep this away from you. Because I know. if I show my feelings. You'll hurt me again. but this time is the last. This time, I'm telling you how it feels to be me. Every day, to pour my love into you and every time to see it vanish into nothing! NOTHING! It drains me. and Ayeka. you love her for every little scrap she gives you!"  
  
"Ryoko. no. you don't understand how it is at all."  
  
Ryoko jumped into the air and prepared to phase away. "No. I do understand! I understand all too well how it is. But what I can't understand is why! I can't keep up this masquerade. I can't! I'm going to leave! I'll never have to deal with."  
  
Tenchi roughly drew her to him again and kissed her full on the lips. When they finally parted Tenchi looked deep into her tear streaked eyes. *Ryoko. oh, how I wish I could erase your pain. but your true emotions captured my heart more surely than any one of your webs of lies could.*  
  
"but. I don't understand. Why?"  
  
"Ryoko." Tenchi smiled down at her, and gave a short laugh. It seemed as if the weight of a world had been taken off of his shoulders. "I, too, must perform. And I, too, am finished." 


	2. Tenchi's decision

Tenchi broke the news to the other girls at dinner. He stood, and met the eyes of each, one by one. The absence of Washu was usual, and Tenchi did not worry too much about it. It would have been harder with her around.  
  
"Everyone. I want you all to know that I love you each very much in your own way. However, it is time for me to make my decision. My decision. This was spurred not by gods, nor goddesses, battles, nor glory. This, my friends, is a decision of my heart. My true love can go to but one and one alone, for to divide it amongst you all would be, to say the least, unfair to each and every one of you. Sasami," Sasami looked up, surprised, then blushed, "Sasami. I love you. In a way, I love you more than anyone else here. But it is the love of myself to a little sister I never had. I know that, yes, even you wished for me to choose you, but I just cannot think of you in that way. I love you far too much for that." Sasami looked away, disappointed.  
  
"I respect your decision, Tenchi. I will accept it with honor."  
  
"Mihoshi," Tenchi went on, "You. You are wonderful. You're beautiful, lucky, everything many could want. But you are not the right woman for me. I think you, as well as I, knew this already."  
  
"Yes Tenchi. But I still like you a lot!" She smiled winningly. Tenchi smiled back and moved on.  
  
"Ayeka." Tenchi smiled at her, and she smiled back, but there were tears glistening in her eyes.  
  
"Yes Tenchi. I so hoped that you would choose me. I loved you so much. but I realize why it must be. Why I cannot be the one. the one for you. I. I loved you so terribly much." Tenchi smiled at her again.  
  
"So my choice. My choice, of all of you, is Ryoko. She won my heart with her newfound honesty, even if she herself didn't realize it. She has often tried to lie, to pretend. but I cannot deny her sincerity now. Ryoko, I love you very much. I love you, I believe, almost as much as you do me, though I cannot prove it. Ryoko, you are my chosen."  
  
Ryoko burst into tears of joy and ran to Tenchi, who took her in a tender embrace. Again and again he whispered into her ear, "My Ryoko. my Ryoko." when they finally parted, Ryoko smiled and wiped away her tears.  
  
"I love you Tenchi. With all of my heart, my being, I love you."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Washu burst out of her lab, ran to Tenchi, who was waiting outside, and crashed full into him with a bearish hug, knocking him on to the floor. "You numbskull! You lack wit! What took you so long?" She shouted at him, fury apparent on her face "I. Uh." Tenchi stammered. "And more importantly, when am I going to be a grandmother?" her face changed instantaneously to a beaming smile from ear to ear, and Tenchi was suddenly reminded of the infamous "samples" she had attempted to. extract from him.  
  
"Uh. I. don't really know. Why don't you ask Ryoko?" He made an attempt at a smile.  
  
"Because she says, I quote, she is 'ready when you are.' Just like she's always been. You hurt her very much."  
  
"I. know that. But I don't know how I can possibly make it up to her. There's no way to erase the pain that is just now becoming visible to me in her eyes. I, the idiot I am, never saw it... Never looked at her. I was too distracted by dreams of glory and respect, and most of all, peace, at Ayeka's side to consider love as a deciding factor at all. Though I didn't think that at the time of course, that's the truth."  
  
"You hurt her more than you can possibly know."  
  
"I understand, but I cannot fathom the amount of pain I must have caused her, and it hurts me very much."  
  
"I know how you feel," There were tears in Washu's eyes now, "I know how you feel... I. I am her mother... and I have been there for her even less than you have."  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Hours later, Tenchi found himself sitting underneath the cherry grove's eaves with Ryoko, his back to her favorite tree, contemplating the future and talking as lovers will.  
  
"Tenchi."  
  
"Yes, Ryoko?"  
  
"Do you really love me? Really, truly, like in the storybooks?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Will you marry me, Tenchi?"  
  
"I. I'm only 17."  
  
"When we're older, then?"  
  
"I. have to think about it first. This isn't a split second decision."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Well, marriage entails that we." Tenchi blushed a bright scarlet and gave a boyish grin.  
  
"OH! That!" Ryoko giggled.  
  
"Ryoko! Cut it out!" Tenchi shouted, but he was still smiling. 


	3. Fireworks

*NOTE!* This is five years later. Ayeka has gone back to Jurai, but still stays in very close contact with the rest of the crew. Mihoshi as well went back to her GP duties, albeit at a much higher rank, and Sasami and Washu stayed with Ryoko and Tenchi. Some *other* things have happened since then as well.  
  
There were fireworks tonight. Ryoko floated above the streets, watching the parading dragons sway and shake, little ants attempting to look fierce. She smiled, but it was a sad one. *How like children they are.* She felt the wind brush softly against her cheek, and turned away, phasing back to the dock beside her home. Tenchi walked out, then stood beside her.  
  
"A penny for your thoughts."  
  
"I'm still fascinated by everything here. Everyone seems so... carefree."  
  
"You're thinking about them, aren't you." Tenchi sat down next to her, and she nodded, tears in her eyes.  
  
"They haunt me. I see their faces, their eyes, begging, pleading, screaming, crying... They all died." Her shoulders shook with her sobs now, "and he made me watch... He made me watch!"  
  
"Shh... Shh... it's okay Ryoko. You're not ever going to go through something like that again. I promise." He hugged her close to him and kissed her.  
  
There was a pop and their surroundings were bathed in blue light. The show had begun.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"This is the planet, correct?"  
  
"Yes master."  
  
"Finally."  
  
"We will arrive in 7.8423 days."  
  
"Too long. Too long. There must be a faster way."  
  
"We could take the scout ship. We could get there in approximately. 6.522 hours."  
  
"Good. Let's go."  
  
"We will be exposed."  
  
"Too bad."  
  
"Yes master."  
  
"I am coming for you. And this time, you'll not evade me again. No one can take you from me!" 


	4. Ryoko's capture

Ryoko awoke quietly, looking around the room. What? Why'd I wake up? she grumbled, and looked at her alarm clock. 2:30. No, it didn't go off... so why?... Oh yeah! It's Ayeka day. She smiled and got up from her bed, then walked down the stairs as softly as she could, then slowly went into Washu's lab and closed the door soundlessly behind her. She walked briskly over to the equipment, and looked down at the interface. Sure enough, the red light was flashing. The connection to Jurai was definitely open. OK. it is. about midday on Jurai. She'll be there. Ryoko tapped the light once with her forefinger.  
  
"Print Identified." The metallic voice of the computer stated, "Connection opened. Please wait."  
  
Ryoko rapped her fingers on the keyboard softly. Come on, princess. I'm waiting. Suddenly the screen flashed to life, showing the bright face of the first crown princess of Jurai.  
  
"Hello there Ryoko! How're you doing this bright day?"  
  
Ryoko laughed. "Fine, but it isn't day here, of course. How have you been keeping up?"  
  
"Very well, thank you," Ayeka said with a smile, "But the suitors are dull, as always. It's good to talk to a friend now and then." Ryoko grinned, and thought back to her own wedding day with Tenchi.  
  
Four years ago:  
  
Ayeka was sitting off to the side of the ceremony, a tissue in hand. She was absorbed in her own thoughts almost completely, so that she did not notice the person coming up behind her until she felt a hand touch her shoulder.  
  
She whirled, and shouted, "Go away! I'm not in the mood to talk with..." she gasped, realizing finally who it was that had surprised her. "Ryoko? What?"  
  
Ryoko looked at her sad eyes and found within them the very emotions she had felt, not so long ago, when Tenchi had still not known about her. barely acknowledged her existence. "Ayeka... I don't want you to be upset about this."  
  
Ayeka turned away petulantly, like a small child. "Really? You think I'll just be happy that I can't ever find someone like Tenchi again?"  
  
Right then, Ryoko realized what she had to say. "Ayeka. I know how you feel. I can see it. Lost, afraid... worse, alone. It's okay to feel that way." For a moment, she almost told Ayeka Yosho's most precious secret, his true features, but decided against it. "There will be another. Just as we found each other, you'll find someone else. I know it."  
  
Ayeka abruptly turned about again, buried her head in Ryoko's shoulder, and bawled like a day old calf. "I know, I know! But I loved him more than anyone else before. Ever! Except only... only Yosho... but I cannot have him either. My god, Ryoko... I'm so afraid..."  
  
"Hey, it's okay, if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I'm there for you."  
  
"You mean it? Really? After everything I did to you?"  
  
"Well... Yeah. I do."  
  
"Oh thank you, Ryoko! Thank you! I know I cannot stay here... but you promise to keep in touch?" Ayeka looked up at Ryoko, her tear streaked eyes glowing happily.  
  
"Yeah. Of course." Ryoko smiled back at her.  
  
Back to present:  
  
"Ryoko? You kind of zoned out for a minute there."  
  
"Um... yeah. Sorry 'bout that."  
  
"So as I was saying, there isn't something you're hiding from me, is there? Every time I mention suitors, you kind of look guilty about something."  
  
"No, nothing, really." Ryoko smiled disarmingly. She had promised Yosho she would keep his secret until he saw fit to tell everyone.  
  
"Okay, if you're sure." There was a knock in the background, and Ayeka turned to face her bedroom door. "Coming!" she said irritably, then turned back to the screen. "More suitors. Sorry, I've got to go."  
  
"Sure. Bye!"  
  
"See you!"  
  
The link closed, and Ryoko stepped back from the monitor. Slowly, she stepped back out of Washu's lab and into the living room. Abruptly, there came a cry from upstairs. "Oh well," she muttered. "Better now than when I'm asleep." She walked up the stairs and opened the door to the room right next to hers and Tenchi's. There, in a tiny crib, sat a little, golden-eyed baby. "Hello, Reibun. How are you doing tonight?" The small babe smiled back at his mother. "Good. Do you want some milk?" He drooled a little, and Ryoko picked him up, and went to the regular business of breast-feeding.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ryoko awoke again, this time because of a crying from Reibun's room. She slid out of bed and walked next door. The first thing she noticed was the window. Open , the cold breeze from outside sent a cold chill down her spine. She walked over and closed it, then went to the crib. "Are you okay now? I wonder who opened that window."  
  
Suddenly, a shape slid out of the shadows. "He'll be fine now. I opened the window, I needed a way to get you in here. But although he's okay, *you* are coming with me."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tenchi got out of bed quickly. He noticed that Ryoko was not still there, and wondered, because she usually slept in a while after he got up because of her nighttime duties, what with Reibun and all. He walked downstairs, but she wasn't in the kitchen or the dining room. He checked in the living room, the library, the garage, but she wasn't anywhere. Tenchi began to get nervous. He walked to the cherry grove, and through the gardens, but still, he could not find her. He went back inside and looked in Sasami's room, the bathrooms, even both of the onsens. He looked in Reibun's room, frantically searching for any clue to where she was, but nothing was to be found of her. Suddenly he smiled. of course! It's "Ayeka day." She'll be in Washu's lab. He walked downstairs, opened the door, and looked directly into the panicked face of the little scientist.  
  
"Where's Ryoko?" Tenchi asked nervously.  
  
"Tenchi... she's... gone..."  
  
"WHAT?" he shouted. "FIND HER, DAMNIT!" He grabbed Washu by her shoulder's and shook her.  
  
"I... did..." Washu's eyes began to well up with tears.  
  
"WELL? WHERE IS SHE?"  
  
"You... don't want to know..."  
  
"YES I DO!" Tenchi shouted "WHERE THE HELL IS MY WIFE?"  
  
"She's... on a pirated Jurain flagship..."  
  
"A... pirated.?" Tenchi frowned, "You don't mean... stolen?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"No..." he cried softly, falling to his knees. "No... Not Ryoko... No... No no no no no no no!" His shoulders shook with sobs.  
  
"Tenchi... don't worry." Washu pulled him to his feet. There was a fire in her eyes, and its intensity frightened Tenchi a bit. "We *will* get her back. And the bastard that did this will pay. I swear upon my choushin honor. We will get her back!" 


	5. Blood and Tears

"Up, beast!" Roared a rough voice.  
  
"I. Where am I?  
  
"You don't need to know. Shut up and get to work! My master wants to see you!"  
  
"But." suddenly, Ryoko felt a searing blast of pain along her side.  
  
"Silence!" Ryoko turned to face her tormenter. He looked to be a humanoid, and was armed with a glowing whip. The energy Ryoko felt emanating from it felt very similar to the very energy which powered her sword.  
  
"Take me to your master then. I can't stop you.  
  
"QUIET! MOVE! NOW!" The beast shouted at her.  
  
"Sure." He turned his back to her, and she formed her energy saber, slashing down through his head. There was only one problem. The saber wasn't there. "Nani?"  
  
"I felt that." The beast broke out laughing. "What an idiot! A fool! Did you think we'd be letting you do whatever you want? You can't do a thing here. Move it, and don't try anything else." He stated, pointing with his whip  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ok Tenchi. It's like this. You and Ryoko are bonded. My mental link with her is failing, and I believe that your mental link is... stronger, and may get the job done. The love between you is, let's face it, much stronger than the love between her and I."  
  
"You mean I've had a mental link this entire time and you never once told me?"  
  
"Yes. I thought you already knew. But that doesn't matter now! Finding Ryoko does. So try to think about her, pretend she's right next to you. Try to talk to her like that."  
  
"Okay. I'm doing that. but she keeps running away."  
  
"There! The pattern is going out! I was right. It's heading for the Jurain ship. WHAT?" she jumped back.  
  
"What is it Washu?"  
  
"They're disappearing!"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"The mental rays! They're just gone! Without a trace!"  
  
"So they have a mental shield?"  
  
"It's much more complex! This is completely erasing Ryoko's existence!"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Ryoko tried to catch every detail of the passage as she walked through.  
  
::Mom! Are you getting all this?:: Ryoko questioned through her link. However, something seemed wrong. Her mother didn't answer at all. A second later, the reason became clear. Inside her head, as if sent in return, she heard an echo of her own sending.  
  
::Mom! Are you getting all this?:: She almost broke down then and there. She hadn't realized until now how much she had come to depend on the link. For the first time since waking from her cave, she was truly alone.  
  
::No-one is coming for me.:: a single tear rolled down the side of her face. ::Not even... Tenchi."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Okay, Tenchi, this'll get you to that ship faster than they can scan you. Use the surprise to your advantage." She pointed to a small craft.  
  
"Hai!"  
  
"Get my daughter back, Tenchi. I'll be bombarding that ship from here."  
  
"But what about their shields?"  
  
"I invent much faster if I'm pissed, Tenchi. I've already got that covered." She smiled. "This might be the most fun I've had since cheating that idiot Clay into getting that stupid vase!"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ryoko." Slowly, she looked up.  
  
"Where are you?" Ryoko growled, "Show yourself, bastard! I may not have my powers but I still have my strength!"  
  
"You think you need that, Ryoko? Perhaps... you'll think differently when you know who I am." The figure stepped from the shadows.  
  
"Reibun..."  
  
"Yes." 


	6. Futile Charge

"You, after all these years, have returned. As you said you would."  
  
"I have Ryoko. And I have been tracking you. I have harnessed our energy. I have evaded that fool Kagato. And I have become the most advanced being ever to walk the cosmos."  
  
"You've accomplished much of what you've promised, but still, one thing is lacking..."  
  
"And what is that?"  
  
"You don't have me."  
  
"But you loved... me... We made the pledge to each other..."  
  
"But Tenchi."  
  
"I don't care about that boy of yours! If he comes between us. I will... I will..."  
  
"NO! If you ever try to hurt Tenchi... I will kill you, no matter how much you love me!  
  
"SILENCE!" The thing came fully into view. It appeared a blend between a human and a large cat. He had a sweeping tail that lashed about furiously as if with a life of its own. He stood almost a full 8 feet tall, dressed in flowing robes. But his face was most definitely feline. His fangs showed white in the lights of the room and he licked his lips with a long tongue, summoning a saber to his hand not unlike Ryoko's own. "You cannot love us both... so one of us must die? That is not the Ryoko I know."  
  
"No... No, you can't think that way... I love you both... just... I love Tenchi... more."  
  
"NO! YOU CANNOT FORSAKE ME!" He screamed in panic. Viciously, he beat her with the hilt of the saber, sending her to slam against the opposite wall. She blacked out.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
::Washu! I have visual with the ship!::  
  
::Good. Five minutes until arrival::  
  
::FIVE MORE MINUTES?::  
  
::Yes Tenchi. It's the best I could do! I knew I should've put on a bit more speed::  
  
::I'M BEING CRUSHED! I WOULD'VE BEEN CONTENT WITH SOMETHING THAT COULD OVERTAKE THE SHIP! BUT OF COURSE YOU HAD TO MAKE SOME "ADJUSTMENTS" DIDN'T YOU?::  
  
::Yes, I did Tenchi. If you can't think of anything but yourself, why don't you come home now?:: That shut Tenchi up in a hurry  
  
::Ryoko. Hold on. I'm coming for you!::  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ryoko. It can't be!"  
  
"What? Who are you?" Ryoko had come to in a small cell which had a acrid smell about it, with what looked to be a large rat leaning over her. The only thing, besides its size, that distinguished it from a normal rodent was the fact that it stood upright, and wore a sort of lizard-skin kimono.  
  
"Akan-nemo. Pleased to meet you!"  
  
"I am not quite familiar with your species. What, may I ask, are you?"  
  
"An Amkraen. I believe that you've researched us before."  
  
"An Amkraen? Your species is supposedly extinct!"  
  
"Sadly, 'tis certain to become so. I'm the last of my kind, and imprisoned as I am. There isn't any hope of that changing. Not without my technologies."  
  
"From what I heard, you were quite an advanced race. Ability to multiply under the harshest conditions by a kind of high-speed cloning, and colonizers of hundreds of planets. Abilities to phase, create anti-matter at will, and with the technology to make your ships go faster than lightspeed in little to no time."  
  
"All of these abilities, acquired and withheld with technology. When he took that away. we were no more than oversized earth-rodents."  
  
"He? Reibun?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"He... He changed so much..."  
  
"He thinks of you as a lover. His feelings are one thing he does not make any attempt to hide." He made a pointed glance at her, " As I heard... you two are very different."  
  
"I need to rest, now. Maybe I will tell my story later. It is a long one."  
  
"I have patience."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"T-minus five seconds to impact. Putting up shields." The computer droned.  
  
::I hope it didn't just say what I thought it did. Impact? Oh man::  
  
"T-minus three seconds."  
  
"slow down!"  
  
"Negative. Maximum impact efficiency is required. Speed will remain as set."  
  
"OH SHIIIIIT!" The small craft barreled into the larger Jurain vessel with the force of a lightspeed collision. Tenchi slowly opened his eyes.  
  
"I'm alive! I'm really alive!" he stepped slowly out of the craft.  
  
"Not if I can help it, you won't be!" Tenchi had crashed right into the throne room.  
  
"Oh no." The being had activated a saber.  
  
"That's right boy! You've come between Ryoko and myself. I made a vow to her, many years ago, that I would be free someday! Free from that bastard Kagato! And then, I would come back to her, and deliver her from his torment! But I find her with YOU!" he spat "Common filth! You will regret even having met Ryoko!"  
  
"You stole her."  
  
"That's right, bastard! I freed her! You, you and your false love. What could you ever feel for her? A demon? A destroyer of worlds? You could never love her as I do!"  
  
"That's right! I'll never view her as a possession! She is not yours, nor mine, nor anyone's! She belongs to herself, and herself alone! I never told her she could not leave! I didn't imprison her! She loved me of her own free will!"  
  
"You son of a bitch! You could never know! NEVER!" With that, the enraged beast charged him. Tenchi attempted to block and parry the blows, but it was no use. The thing had thousands of years of experience. Blow for blow, the beast wore him back toward the gaping hole. "You came here unprepared to fight for your love! You, how did you ever earn her trust! Infidel! Inferior!" Tenchi let out a bestial growl.  
  
"EARN? FROM WHOM? YOU?" ::Tsunami! Help me now! Please. for Ryoko::  
  
"What? Praying to your maker so soon? You weakling! Fight your own battles, or do you not have the courage?" It charged in again, "What did you expect to gain by coming here? Ryoko? Ha! You never had her! You never loved her! Only her body." His words chilled Tenchi to the bone.  
  
"I love her more deeply than a fiend like you could EVER fathom." This earned him a fresh kick in the jaw.  
  
"Do not speak of what you do not know, earthling!" The thing charged in for the final blow. Tenchi was brought to his knees, and held the sword above his head with all his strength.  
  
"Hold. on. Ryoko." with that, he passed out. The beast deactivated his blade.  
  
"Killing a worm like you is beneath me! Don't try to find us again, or you'll not have the luck of my mercy."  
  
Suddenly, the ship was rocked by a shattering blast.  
  
"I'll not kill you! Your mother in law will! How ironic."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Suddenly Washu stepped back from the controls.  
  
"Shit." One by one, the life-form indicators blinked out. Soon, the ship was vacated. Nothing remained, except one single, solitary, blip. ::Tenchi. Get out of there:: suddenly, Washu doubled over in pain. All of the memories that had been resurrected in Ryoko's mind from the return of Reibun hit her at once. ::Oh. shit. Tenchi:: Washu blacked out.  
  
"Firing countdown to missile launch. T-minus 10"  
  
"T-minus 9"  
  
"T-minus 8"  
  
"T-minus 7"  
  
"T-minus 6"  
  
"T-minus 5"  
  
"T-minus 4"  
  
"T-minus 3"  
  
"T-minus 2"  
  
"T-minus 1"  
  
"Rocket launched." A small vidscreen popped up with Washu doing a victory dance on it "Bye bye, bastard" 


	7. Memories of the Lost

:::Flashback:::  
  
Ryoko had come back from yet another exhausting day in the field, both mentally and physically. Kagato had forced her to kill a Jurain family. Fortunately, there had been a knight with them, and they had managed to escape. She, however, was not so lucky. She had had to kill the poor fool.  
  
::I cannot take much more of this::  
  
"Ryoko?" A soft whisper came through the cracks of her cell.  
  
"Who's there?" It did not sound at all like Kagato, and Ryoko had known no one else for a long time. Her only memories not involving singularly Kagato were of a redheaded woman smiling at her. But that was only a dream. No one had ever loved her, no one *would* ever love her. But Kagato had been known to play demonic games with her. "Who's there? Come out! Show yourself!"  
  
A catlike creature stepped out of the shadows behind the bars of her cage. He was as tall as she was, but his face betrayed the innocence of a small child. His eyes, however, were definitely not feline. They were a deep, deep blue. So dark that Ryoko had trouble finding where the irises ended and the pupils began. His hands, also, were those of a human, slightly covered by a reddish fuzz that matched the rest of his fur.  
  
"Ryoko. I'd heard of you. Kagato says you're a bad, bad girl, and I mustn't ever see you. But you don't look too horrible to me. You look kinda funny." He laughed, "That's okay though. I mean, look at me! I look funnier than you ever will." Ryoko stepped out of her fighting stance.  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
"Reibun. How're you doing in there?"  
  
"Horribly. Kagato isn't nice to me at all."  
  
"Really? He doesn't seem that bad." He walked out of Ryoko's sight.  
  
"Wait! Wait! Where are you." but suddenly, the bars of her cage rolled away.  
  
"C'mon! let's play a game!"  
  
:::Flashback:::  
  
It was several years later, Reibun and Ryoko had grown into the best of friends. But Reibun was forced every day to return Ryoko to her cell, to avoid being caught by Kagato, and Ryoko obliged, not wanting her friend to suffer because of herself.  
  
"Ryoko?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Why does he keep you locked up like that?"  
  
"Because." Ryoko grimaced.  
  
"'Cause why?" Reibun persisted.  
  
"Because he hates me. He can't stand to look at me."  
  
"Ryoko, you're not going back into that cell." Reibun stated it as a fact, not an opinion. He turned towards her, his blue eyes flashing. "No. Not anymore. I see the bruises, your expression. Ryoko, I've come over this time to. to."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Ryoko, I love you."  
  
Ryoko shot up off of the ground. "No. No, you're lying. Nobody loves me. Nobody could! Don't lie to me!"  
  
"Ryoko, I'm not lying. I. Love. You."  
  
"I. I."  
  
"Ryoko. When did I ever lie to you?"  
  
That night, Ryoko slept within the company of another for the first time in her life.  
  
:::Flashback:::  
  
"RYOKO! FILTHY WHORE! BACK TO YOUR CAGE!" Ryoko quivered in her bed, but Reibun put a restraining hand on her.  
  
"He'll kill you!"  
  
"I don't care. I love you, and that's all that matters."  
  
:::Flashback:::  
  
Ryoko could hear the screams from where she sat in her cell. She was used to the whip, and did not feel the burning anymore. Reibun. He was unprepared for the punishment that she knew would come. She heard a faint whimpering sound, and the shuffle of large feet along the corridor.  
  
"Ryoko." He wheezed  
  
"Reibun! Are you alright?" Kagato swirled up behind Reibun.  
  
"No, he had better not be. What you have done... is disgusting, Reibun."  
  
:::Flashback:::  
  
"Ryoko! I know it is not true!"  
  
"When did he ever lie?"  
  
"Ryoko." he sat down on the bed next to her. They had snuck out regardless of Kagato's wrath. "Ryoko. I'm going to leave. I want us to be happy together. But first, I will find power. Enough to destroy that bastard Kagato!"  
  
"No. Reibun, don't leave."  
  
"I'm sorry, Ryoko, I have to."  
  
:::Flashback:::  
  
No. This was not her Reibun.  
  
She could do nothing to him. He betrayed her, and therefore could not care. The worst thing she could ever do.  
  
He had left her. 


	8. Forsaken Dreams

Ryoko woke slowly, noticing with a cursory glance that her surroundings had changed. No longer was she in a dank prison cell, but in what seemed to be a rather nice earth-style suite. The only indicators that this was a falsity were the presence of the chattering Amkraen and the multitude of small energy bars that crossed the doorway.  
  
"Ugh. where are we now?"  
  
"In another of lord Reibun's multitude of ships. He has quite a network of them. His matter-transfer device is rather complex, what with the ability to move entire ships full of objects and people, and selectively nonetheless. He leaves behind the misbehaving prisoners for the enemy to collect. Made the prototype for that bugger myself, in the days when I was free."  
  
"That's nice to know." Ryoko mumbled, still not fully awake.  
  
"Oh yes! Quite ingenious design, if I do say so myself. Even for the top Amkraen engineer it's a magnificent accomplishment. So unfortunate that it fell into his hands."  
  
"You were what now?"  
  
"The foremost Amkraen engineer."  
  
"Do you know how this thing's energy shielding works?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Show me. I've got an idea."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Tenchi woke slowly, taking a while to come to his senses. He remembered a large cat. and Ryoko, somewhere, calling to him... But... ::W- where am I?::  
  
::TENCHI!:: Washu's voice came through the mind link with startling volume and clarity. ::GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE! YOU'VE GOT TWO MINUTES ::  
  
::Huh?:: Tenchi shook himself groggily. Looking about, he still couldn't figure out what Washu was screaming about.  
  
::WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HUH? YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE OF LOCATING RYOKO AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS *HUH*?::  
  
Suddenly everything came back to him, the memories flooding inwards in a furious river. ::Oh no... Washu's missile... :: He cast around for the ship that Washu had sent him in. ::It's fine. As soon as I find it, I'll be on my way home again, to find Ryoko:: He bumped into a large metallic object. Slowly he felt along its sides. ::Yep. This is definitely it:: he jumped into the cockpit. ::Hey, Washu, How do I start this thing for home?::  
  
::The red button! Push it! You've only got one minute now::  
  
Tenchi looked around inside the cabin. He remembered the button and put his hand where it should have been. Instead of liberation, he got a nasty shock. The cap had been torn off, leaving sparking wires exposed inside. ::Washu! We've got a problem::  
  
::It's gone, isn't it. Great. Wonderful::  
  
::WHAT DO I DO?::  
  
::Can you see the wire colors?::  
  
::No::  
  
::Okay, they're sparking, right?::  
  
::yeah::  
  
::Take the one on the far right, and stick it onto the one in the middle::  
  
Tenchi looked at the mess of wires. ::Oh god. there's so many.:: he picked up the one farthest to his right that he could find. ::Where's the center? Where's the center? Oh god. I'm gonna die.:: desperately, he grabbed one.  
  
::Five seconds, Tenchi!::  
  
::This better be it:: he stabbed the two together with shaking hands. Nothing happened.  
  
::I'm screwed:: He squeezed his eyes shut ::I don't want to see it! I'm sorry Ryoko.::  
  
::Two seconds!::  
  
::Why me? Why couldn't I save her?::  
  
::point five seconds, Tenchi!::  
  
Suddenly, without warning, the ship shot forward, slamming Tenchi into the seat so hard that he almost blacked out.  
  
"YES!" he screamed aloud.  
  
Washu smiled. ::Damn that boy. Making me so nervous. What was he thinking?::  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"So the entire thing runs off of. what?" Ryoko puzzled to her new friend.  
  
"The energy inherently existent in space. Ryoko, you can't shut it off. I made it! That's why it's so."  
  
"Perfect." Ryoko finished, grinning. Suddenly, the grin vanished as fast as it had begun. ::Mother. Will I never see you again?:: The Amkraen definitely noticed.  
  
"What's wrong? Did I say something?" he asked with a look of concern written on his face.  
  
"No. Nothing. Nothing at all." she covered the tears with ease, from years of practice with Tenchi. Every rejection had caused this reaction. every single one, even the smallest of denials, with whispered apologies. She shook her head. ::focus on the here and now, Ryoko. Or you're never going to get out of here::  
  
"Alright. I seem to remember that this shield had one weakness. An emergency override. I made it in case the shield ever began to malfunction, and formed the design so that it would be impossible to build it without that function. Can't go around in a ship without a restraining belt, can you?" he chuckled, "damn good thing I didn't leave it out, now that I think of it." Then he suddenly frowned. "There is a small problem, however."  
  
"What is it now?"  
  
"The device is located in the cockpit of the ship."  
  
Ryoko slumped to the floor. "Great. All for nothing."  
  
"Ah. no. There is a way we could get out of here."  
  
"And that is?"  
  
"Take apart the receptors for the laser shielding on the door."  
  
"Well now, that doesn't help much. We could spend years on just dismantling one!"  
  
"Wrong again. I recognize this ship, and." he smiled, "It is where I held one of my more successful escape attempts. Hold on a second." He ran over to the wall and began to run his hand along it. "Yes! Still here!" He pressed his finger into a certain spot and a small door shot open. He scuttled inside.  
  
"Hey! Wait! Don't leave me behind!"  
  
"No worries about that!" He popped back out, holding a small toolkit resembling a toddler's toy. Ryoko burst out laughing.  
  
"Yeah right."  
  
"What?" Akan-nemo looked at her with an expression of profound confusion.  
  
"An earth-store sells that stuff for toddlers." At this, he grinned.  
  
"That it does. But watch this!" he pressed a small button, and the thing sprang open. He dropped it on the floor and it quickly expanded into a door, easily allowing for Ryoko's height.  
  
"That feels. familiar." Mumbled Ryoko. She quickly found out why. He opened the door to surroundings completely different from where they were.  
  
"My subspace lab." The tiny Amkraen grinned.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
As soon as he arrived back on Earth, Tenchi headed straight for the house and into Washu's lab.  
  
"Washu! Washu! I."  
  
"Okay Tenchi, we know. You didn't get her back." Washu's eyes were puffy and red, as though she had just been crying. ::But. Washu never cries:: Tenchi thought.  
  
"Sometimes, Tenchi, even I have to." Tenchi was taken aback by her intuition, until he remembered the mental link. ::Great. A mother-in-law that knows exactly what you're thinking:: Washu grinned.  
  
"Your worst nightmare. I know. Get over here and help me."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Inside of the lab, Ryoko quickly identified every tool known to exist, many that didn't, and a few which Washu had deemed physical impossibilities.  
  
"Wow." she said in awe.  
  
"I know. Okay. here it is."  
  
"Wait. You said that you couldn't use your technologies. but you have a whole lab here."  
  
"No, I said they were stolen. The only reason I didn't do this in the other ship is that they've decided not to issue electric toothbrushes anymore." He said with a gleam in his eye.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You'd be surprised what I can make with an electric toothbrush."  
  
"I'm not even going to ask. You got the tools you need?"  
  
"Yep. Let's go back." Ryoko complied, stepping back through the portal. Akan-nemo quickly stepped over to the door, planting a small device on it.  
  
"Okay, I'm going to need you to stand back. This thing has been known to occasionally go haywire."  
  
"Sure." Ryoko replied uncertainly.  
  
The Amkraen pressed a small button, and everything became chaos. Sirens blared, buzzers buzzed, lights flashed, and the lasers instantly shut off.  
  
"Good! It worked!"  
  
"IT WORKED?"  
  
"A small diversion. It turns all of the traps off, and all of the alarms on. At one time."  
  
"Ah." Ryoko frowned.  
  
"Let's get moving! We don't have much time!"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Washu slumped back into her chair.  
  
"Tenchi, it's not working! The waves are going all over the place. She's gone. Not on any of the readings." She groaned, disheartened.  
  
"No. Washu, she's still there. I don't know exactly where, but I can feel it!"  
  
"You've got a stronger connection than I thought. Well, I'll trust you. Let's try again. But I can't promise that it'll work." She picked up her holocomputer and typed in a few commands. "Okay, let's go."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Ryoko ran down the hall, her smaller friend barely keeping up, shouting directions at her from behind.  
  
"Right! Right! Left! Straight! Keep going straight!" Suddenly, they broke into a large chamber. "Alright, it should be. Yes! Right here!" He slammed a button down. "You've got one minute!"  
  
Suddenly, it felt to Ryoko as if a million lights came on inside her head. Instantly, she sent out for her lost lover.  
  
::Ryoko! Is that you?::  
  
::Yes Tenchi! I've only got a short time, so I'm going to give you our location.::  
  
"forty seconds!"  
  
::Alright, I'll have Washu analyze it.::  
  
::hold on!:: She pressed a key on the ships control panel. ::223422553457756 Inat*::  
  
"Twenty!"  
  
::90060779422564472245 Na*::  
  
"Ten!"  
  
::1122424663674 Tem*::  
  
"Five!"  
  
::Ryoko! I'm losing contact!::  
  
::I love you, Tenchi::  
  
::Ryoko.::  
  
"Zero!" The link was shattered. It seemed like part of Ryoko's self had been torn away.  
  
"Tenchi's going to come for us."  
  
"Not if we're not here! Let's get back to the cell!"  
  
"Hai." Ryoko, despite her words, didn't move.  
  
"Oh fine. We'll do it the hard way." Akan-nemo grabbed her in a surprisingly strong grip, and began to trot back to their confinement.  
  
::Tenchi. He's coming for me:: Ryoko smiled.  
  
"I can walk the rest of the way."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Positive."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
* Inat, Na, and Tem: Three dimensional location measurements sort of like our length, width, and depth, originating from Jurai 


	9. Doomsday begins

"Washu, have you got all of the numbers set?" Tenchi peeked into the lab.  
  
"Coordinates affirmative." Washu replied with a grin.  
  
"I'll take that as a yes." He turned as if to leave, then popped his head back in, "Oh, and Washu?"  
  
"Yes Tenchi?"  
  
"This time, could you avoid using me as a battering ram? I'd kinda like to attack the ship in a different way."  
  
"Yes. Ryo-ohki *is* getting rather bored as well. We've got you a ship Tenchi!"  
  
"Great!" Tenchi shut the door and left, while Washu called Ryo-ohki over to her.  
  
"Alright, now to modify your weapons."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Three days later, Washu announced that she was done with Ryo-ohki's.  
  
"Okay, Tenchi, She's set on autopilot now. She's a little unused to it since Ryoko had the map of the entire universe implanted into her memory, so she might act up a bit. But it isn't likely. When you get to the battle point, the weapon's system will be activated. I believe that you're familiar with the controls from all of those practice runs Ryoko took you on. First thing, however, you've got to use my space net. It will keep him from activating that matter transfer again."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Ryo-ohki activated her beam, bringing Tenchi up into her interior. Almost immediately, they set off on their way.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
The trip this time was much longer than the first, allowing Tenchi some contemplation, a brief respite between the chaos. He smiled to himself.  
  
::I'll always remember our wedding day. everyone was so happy, even Ayeka was pleased enough to serve as one of Ryoko's bridesmaids, Sasami was our flower girl, and we had Ryo-ohki be our ring bearer. Grandfather, of course, insisted that I invite all of the Jurain royal family, and have a traditional Jurain wedding. Ryoko, of course, didn't object to that. I remember her exact words. "Tenchi, it doesn't matter how we're getting married, only that we are." Heh. she couldn't have been more wrong. Unfortunately, Jurain weddings include cake, like ours, and Washu just had to open her mouth about her confectionary masterpiece being better than the ones Azusa had had on his weddings. the whole thing ended, I remember, with Washu, covered from head to foot in her own "confectionary masterpiece", running back to her lab with the entire royal family at her heels. Ryoko said her ribs hurt for days afterwards, and Washu wouldn't come out of her lab until we had assured her that she was completely, utterly forgiven for the incident. Dad said it wasn't the best wedding he'd seen, but certainly the most exciting, and Grandfather hid his face for days in embarrassment. Well, at least the wedding was legitimate:: he smiled ::I would hate to have done the whole thing over again::  
  
"Nearing target, Tenchi." Ryo-ohki stated, bringing up a visual of the enemy ship.  
  
"Jesus." gasped Tenchi, "Front, rear, and multiple side cannons. full shielding. mounted cannons. hanger with blast doors. We're never gonna touch this thing."  
  
"Within range. Initiating manual control. Battle stations set."  
  
"Alright." Tenchi hit the button Washu had pointed out to him, and a rocket shot forward at the large vessel, then burst open to reveal a large device which slammed into the ship's side. Suddenly, a net of lasers shot out from the thing to cover the entire ship. Ryo-ohki surged forward.  
  
"Fire starboard turret!" shouted Tenchi. A gargantuan beam cannon rose out of Ryo-ohki's side. "What the."  
  
"Tenchi, secure yourself." Ryo-ohki fired. The cannon shot forward, taking out the ship's shielding with one shot.  
  
::WASHU! THESE ARE NOT SLIGHT MODIFICATIONS HERE!:: Tenchi shouted through the mind link  
  
::So?:: Washu replied, ::They'll get you to her faster::  
  
::Just tell me what they are so I don't *kill* myself before I get there::  
  
::Okay. You've seen the starboard cannon. It is now an oni type beam cannon, with the destructive capacity to destroy a planet. I replaced the port cannon with a phase shield. Similar to a lighthawk wing, it functions by phasing any harmful energy coming in contact with it into the nearest black hole. With it activated you cannot be harmed, but you also can't fire. The top turret now is a hypercannon. It fires a projectile, which bursts into a controlled black hole. Perfect for breaching ship hulls, but make sure all shields are gone before you activate it.. Last but not least are the wing turrets. They are now automatic beam rifles, for dispatching any support ships he may have. That's it. Good luck!::  
  
::These things are going to violate more universal ordinances than Ryoko ever did. Oh man. this is gonna leave me with some explaining to do. Oh well:: Tenchi looked at the enemy ship's stats again, and found to his dismay that the shields had already been set back up.  
  
::Impossible! Not even Tsunami can regenerate shielding that quickly! Looks like I'll be in for a difficult fight:: Tenchi charged.  
  
The larger ship reacted almost instantaneously, firing all guns with a clear shot at him. Tenchi activated Washu's shield as quickly as he could, and found it completely up to par. The shots instantly disappeared as they came with the range of the shield. ::Well, two things up and running:: "Fire starboard cannon!" The beam shot forward again, damaging the shields almost to their fullest capacity. They began to regenerate quickly, and Tenchi saw the flaw in his attack. "Fire wing turrets!" ::The faster firing rate should take care of that regeneration:: "Scan ship for source of regeneration." A small vidscreen popped up showing a small point near the center of the ship blinking red. "Damn! I can't touch it for fear of hitting his prisoners and Ryoko!"  
  
Suddenly, a small fleet shot out of the hanger doors straight for Ryo-ohki. "Disengage! Fire wing turrets on enemy units!" Ryo-ohki shot into the midst of the crafts hitting a number of them. They burst apart almost instantly, leveling their numbers to about forty. "Fire top turret!" shouted Tenchi, and Ryo-ohki complied. The resulting hole pulled over half of them into its midst. "Forward, Ryo-ohki, charge!"  
  
Suddenly, an unexpected blast came from the larger ship's gun turrets, and Ryo-ohki suddenly reeled sideways. "Ryo-ohki! Damage report!" he scanned the screen. "Oh man."  
  
Every one of his offensive weapons had been completely disabled, leaving him with only the phase shield. Suddenly, a grin spread across Tenchi's face.  
  
"Activate shields and charge the enemy!" ::it worked once before.::  
  
Ryo-ohki complied instantly.  
  
"Collision in four seconds!"  
  
"Commands are unchanged!"  
  
"Two seconds!"  
  
"Stay your course!"  
  
"One second!"  
  
Ryo-ohki hit the ship with enough impact to completely bypass its shielding and penetrate the armor. Unfortunately, Ryo-ohki was too damaged to move any further.  
  
"Open hatch! I'm getting out! You know, Ryo-ohki, Washu's tactics are more effective than they seem." Tenchi smiled.  
  
Tenchi had entered the enemy's lair. 


	10. Love is Forever

Tenchi ran down the halls quickly, searching for the cockpit of the giant ship. ::Ryoko. please be alive. please.:: slowly, his mind began to adapt to his surroundings. He turned down the next hall, and then he saw the opening. Running through it, he burst into a large room.  
  
"I've been expecting you, boy."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Ryoko awoke suddenly, jumping up and activating her saber. ::Wait. I can use. my powers? Why?:: then all of a sudden, she felt him.  
  
::Ryoko. please be alive. please.:: She began to sob with joy.  
  
::Tenchi! Tenchi, I'm here!::  
  
::Ryoko! I found him. help me! Oh god.::  
  
::Tenchi!:: there was no response. A small hand alighted on her shoulder.  
  
"Can you feel it, Ryoko? My powers have returned! My devices work!" Ryoko stood and faced her small friend with a pained look in her eyes.  
  
"I can Akan-nemo. And we need to use that power. To save Tenchi."  
  
"He's here? Now?"  
  
"Yes. Come on!"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Reibun. That's your name, isn't it?" Tenchi grimaced. "To think, my child shares a name with you."  
  
Reibun laughed aloud. "So, you share a link with your little Ryoko too? Just like her mother. Hah. So amusing that Ryoko would pick that name, don't you think? Even after all those years, I still lingered there in her heart. It must gall you terribly, youngling. To share the affection of the woman you love with another?"  
  
"No, Beast. It does not, for as I have a link that shows me her thoughts and memories, so I have a link that reveals her feelings. And for you? She feels only ice in her heart for you. That is not something to envy."  
  
"You will never know." Reibun stated simply. Then he charged. Saber clashed on saber as Tenchi activated the Tenchi-ken and blocked the blow from his larger opponent.  
  
"This time, you haven't got the advantage of surprise. I'll destroy you." Challenged Tenchi. In response, Reibun only pushed harder, forcing the blade closer and closer to Tenchi's neck.  
  
::Tenchi! Tenchi, I'm here!::  
  
Surprise registered on Tenchi's face, and he responded quickly.  
  
::Ryoko! I found him.:: suddenly, Reibun's eyes lit with a fiendish glow, and he pressed forward again.  
  
"That link will be your death, boy!"  
  
::help me! Oh god.:: The Tenchi-ken's blade wavered dangerously close to Tenchi's exposed neck, and he deactivated the link. ::need to concentrate. NOW!:: he sidestepped, deactivating the blade, and Reibun stumbled forward. Tenchi reactivated the blade and slashed downward, only to be met by an equally strong block.  
  
"Parlor tricks? Is that the best you can do?" taunted the beast, then he swung his blade in a series of deadly attacks, almost, but not quite, penetrating Tenchi's defense. He smiled fiendishly. Tenchi's breath was already coming in rapid gasps. "Beaten already. Weakling." And he swung his blade forward in a powerful blow.  
  
"Not in your lifetime." Tenchi easily knocked the blade aside, again sidestepping. His breath suddenly became normal, and he took the advantage with a series of quick attacks directed to his enemy's back. "Baka. All's fair in love and war. And this is both." He had scored a hit to Reibun's shoulder.  
  
"You will pay for that, earthling. No more games, you're done for!" Reibun countered the blow, pressing the attack, not letting up at all. Slash for slash, blow for blow, Tenchi parried every attack, but he knew his defense was weakening. Slowly, he could feel his power slipping away.  
  
::No. I cannot fail. For Ryoko. and the universe. I must destroy him. at all costs:: a small smile played across his face.  
  
"Come, beast." Tenchi stood up, out of his defensive position. "Come, if you dare."  
  
Reibun smiled. ::The idiot. He's beaten:: He charged forward, stabbing the saber with all his might in an all out attack. ::He'll not counter THIS::  
  
But Tenchi did not counter. He stood. Reibun dashed forward, activating his blade. He brought it up, then down, deep into Tenchi's chest.  
  
::Nani? No resistance?::  
  
A second later, Reibun realized how wrong he was. The Tenchi-ken came swinging upwards, connecting with his throat. His body slowly slumped to the ground, the head rolling far to the other side of the room.  
  
"You're. beaten." Tenchi fell to his knees. "By. a simple. earthling." With that, he hit the ground. "Goodbye. Ryoko."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ryoko burst into the cabin, giving it a precursory glance. What she saw nearly devastated her. Tenchi was on the ground, surrounded by a pool of his own blood. She ran to him and turned him over looking him in the face. The wound that he had suffered was deep and wide, a direct strike into his chest.  
  
"NO! It cannot be!" She staggered back.  
  
"What?" Akan-nemo looked on aghast "Reibun? Dead? At the hands of one man?"  
  
"But the cost... Tenchi is... he is..." Suddenly, her loved one coughed up a fresh gout of blood.  
  
"Ryoko... You're here." He smiled at her. "I love you. I love you, no one else... Ryoko. My dear, my lovely Ryoko..."  
  
"Hold on Tenchi!"  
  
"Ryoko... I... will always... love you... forever... forever and... a day..." And with a final smile, his head rolled back, and his glazed eyes said all to Ryoko she needed to know.  
  
"Tenchi... Forever and a day." And she rose. Slowly, she formed her blade. She needed only the dagger for this. "I will be with you as well." And she plunged the deadly knife deep within herself. "I'M COMING TENCHI!"  
  
Akan watched in amazement as the phenomena known only as the dance of death occurred before him. The clearly defined spirits of Ryoko and her lover wrapped each other in their arms, rapturous faces turned towards the sun, and they floated slowly upwards, slowly fading as they kissed in the shining glory that would always be theirs. 


	11. Note:

NOTE: Anyone who wants me to do an epilogue, please state that now. I'd like to, but I'm afraid I don't have time now, so unless you guys want it, I won't. 


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